>> live and in hd, this is abc-7 breaking news. >> shots rang out just after the midnight showing of "the dark knight rises"began. >> at least 12 people are confirmed killed. as many as 53 are wounded ranging from three months old to 45 years old.

he accused shooter, james holmes is in custody. >> we have more on what exactly happened. >> just moments ago the family of the suspect james holmes issued a statement saying their heart goes out of those involved. they also asked for their privacy at this time. we are learning more about the suspects, including that he is a student at the university of colorado medical school but withdrew last month. an aspiring sports journalist named jessica is the first person to be identified in this horrific incident. mayhem in a colorado movie theater. 24-year-old james holmes opened fire at a midnight screening of batman killing 12 people. images of the scene were captured on cell phones. according to witnesses james

holmes dressed in all black wearing a gas mask and a bulletproof vest. he released some sort of gas then opened fire. >> i tried to help my friends get out. >> 12 people were killed, dozens of others ranging in age from three months to 45 years old were taken to area hospitals many in critical condition. >> anywhere from mild to severe injuries, shrapnel injuries to gunshot wounds. >> officials say they found his apartment booby trapped after he told police about explosives inside. they also found an assault rifle, shot a scene of the shooting. president obama spoke out about the tragedy. >> i am so moved by your support, but there are going to be other days for politics. this, i think is a day for prayer and reflection.

>> authority still on the scene at james holmes apartment. they say could take time to dismantle all of it. they do not believe the suspect has ties to a terrorist organization. we will continue to follow developments throughout the day with more on wjla.com. >> thank you so much. we continue team coverage on this tragedy. >> jimmy is that the movie theater in virginia that is playing nonstop nationwide. any increase in security here? >> we have seen alexandria police crews going throughout the parking lot. we spoke to the officer and he said they are not doing too much extra. this movie theater and the one at the hawthorne center already contract off-duty police officers to work inside. even with that information, a lot of people showing up to the movie theater here today say they still have the shooting on

their mind. >> absolutely crazy. i do not know what else to say about that. that is insane. >> moviegoers were speechless as they left local theaters and got word that dozens of people had been shot or killed in colorado, innocent victims there to see the new batman movie. >> anyone being killed or anyone out here killing people is crazy. >> while this mass shooting happened hundreds of miles away, local residents tell us they still feel uneasy, especially since going to the movies is supposed to be a way to escape reality. >> this is a movie to escape what is going on in your daily life. it is absolutely shocking. >> the violence is supposed to be in the movie not in real life. it is a scary reality. >> patrons tell us they wonder if more security could have prevented this from happening

while police in colorado continue to investigate the circumstances around the massacre. d.c. police tell us they will be paying close attention to all theaters throughout the weekend. in fact, d.c. police are holding a news conference at 12:30 p.m. to discuss the shooting and what they plan to do this weekend. montgomery county officers say they also plan to have more patrol cars around movie theaters this weekend. there was a movie premiere scheduled for this new batman movie in paris today but that has been cancelled. >> warner bros. has released a statement saying they are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. we extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of this tragedy. this happened only about 20 miles from columbine high school where 12 students and a teacher were killed and 26

others hurt back in 1999. prior to today the most victims in a mass shooting was 47. that was at the university of texas back in 1966 were 16 people died. the deadly shooting in u.s. history, just five years ago and not far from here at virginia tech. 32 people were killed. >> the other big story we're following, we will continue to of continuing coverage of the movie theater shooting and have constant updates as new information becomes available on air and on our website at wjla.com. even find the latest pictures and videos. we will have live coverage starting at 5:00. another big story, the storm that crashed through last night. more on the way this afternoon as well as this evening. >> for the latest on that, let's turn to steve. >> more rain out there and

mainly to the west of us right now. if you are in the district, arlington, alexandria, you might want to grab your umbrella before you head out the door. looking at heavier rain right now. we do have a flash flood watch the just went into effect. it is going to extend into the evening hours. travel plans if you're heading out toward atlanta, expects some delays. detroit, chicago indianapolis quiet right now. we will take a look at the full forecast in just a minute. >> thank you. frustration bubbling over in one northwest d.c. neighborhood. for the second straight day in the third time in less than two weeks they are cleaning up their homes and businesses from yet another round of flooding. john joins us live from rhode island ave. once seems to be enough. twice you can deal with.

three times? i do not know what these folks are dealing with now. >> maybe third time is a charm. even though d.c. water has not responded to our calls about what they are doing, we can tell you that about an hour ago d.c. water crews did show up here and they are going through the storm drains and sewers lines in the area making sure there are not any obstructions as more rain moves in. >> i am disgusted. >> this time residents armed themselves with extra some palms and sandbags, but for the third time in just -- extra sump pumps and sandbags, but for the third time in just under a week, the water kept coming in. water covered streets and bathroom floors. even cars were struggling to stay on the road. >> it poured into our basement. we have some pumps and drains. we have taken lots of

precautions and spent lots of money -- spent lots of money and it has not done any good. >> his carpet, furniture and electronics are ruined. the residents have been told the seawater has a plan to upgrade and try to alleviate the problem in this neighborhood, but it is a plan that will cost billions of dollars and take 13 years. for the time, residents say the city has not even offered them sandbags. >> we need sandbags. we're not sure if the city is giving them away. >> crews tell us they're trying to prevent this from happening now a fourth time. we're not only talking about dozens of homes being flooded but businesses as well. one business owner says he has already lost thousands of dollars. reporting live, john gonzales, abc 7 news. >> the power is turning back on

but slowly for people impacted by the storm. pepco still has about 3500 customers without power. dominion has 880. >> this latest round of power outages comes as pepco and more than 800,000 customers are waiting for word on a possible rate hike. this comes after a hearing yesterday in montgomery county on pepco's response to the june 29th storm that left thousands of people in the dark for days. pepco's response was much slower than the many and power and pg&e. >> on the campaign trail candidates are scaling back. we heard from president obama just moments ago. he was reacting to the deadly shooting in colorado. the comments came just moments

ago in fort myers. the president says he has cleared his schedule and is en route back to the white house. first lady michelle obama has also cleared her schedule. she was scheduled to make stops in virginia this afternoon. the white house has not said if those events will be rescheduled. >> mitt romney is in new hampshire's preparing to speak at a rally there. prexy is expected to take the stage at any moment now. we have a live look at that stage. he is expected to speak on the tragedy in colorado. we will bring you his comments as soon as he takes the stage. >> state police on the scene of a serious crash involving a dump truck and a passenger vehicle. when a driver has life- threatening injuries. traffic is at a near standstill. >> coming up, metro stations will go dark this weekend. what you need to know to avoid

getting stuck. >> and a community celebrates victory in a fight for a [ obama

] i'm barack obama and i approve this message. [ female announcer ] every womaman who believes decisions about our bodies and our health caree shoulde our own is troubled mitt romney supports overturning roe versus wade.

romney backed a law that outlaws all abortion n -- even in cases of rape d incest. and that's n all. i'll cut off funding to planned parenthood. [ female announcer ] for women planned parenthood means life-saving cancer screenings an family-planning services. but, for mitt romney... planned parenthood. we're going to get gid of that. >> a massachusetts man expected to plead guilty today on charges he planned to attack the pentagon and the capital. he planned to fly remote-control model planes packed with explosives into those two buildings. he was arrested last year in an fbi sting. he spent 17 years in prison under a plea date -- will spend 17 years in prison under a plea deal reached last week. >> crews will flip the switch to activate a new traffic light on

clarence road. in just five years the intersections of 70 crashes and three people killed. it took a year of fighting to get here. >> march of 2004, an elderly woman dies after the car she is driving in is hit by a utility truck. now after nearly two decades of asking the state highway commission to make this intersection safer neighbors are finally getting their wish. later on this afternoon this new traffic signal will be activated to keep both drivers and pedestrians safe. >> it took a lot of work, a lot of research, a lot of asking the state highway administration to consider the light for us. >> three civic groups worked alongside state delegates and members of the montgomery county council for several years to get this project done. officials say it took so long because the state owns the road,

not the county. >> this is one of the situations where it required the state to work with the county. we are celebrating that. >> not only are their homes around this intersection, the two churches, two bus stops and elementary schools. >> you can across without a traffic light. >> while this new traffic light cannot help any of the dozens of people -- >> we are going to take a break from that story because we want to get the latest on the situation in colorado. here is diane sawyer. >> we have a picture to show you. we now have a picture of the young man, 24-year-old james holmes, who has abeen accused in the batman movie massacre. he is a student at the university of colorado. you look into his eyes and wonder what happened, who was. did he wants think of the future for himself?

>> he had gone from san diego to colorado as a ph.d. candidate in neuroscience. according to a registrar at the science center in denver, he withdrew in the spring of 2012. >> again a student in neuroscience. we have confirmed that. also we saw earlier today a report from a police spokesman in san diego where he grew up. at the family home there his father emerged to go to the police station in san diego. his mother still in the house with other family members. >> his father is being escorted past the reporter so he can leave. his mother remains in the house. the family issued a statement talking about their regret for what happened. >> let's bring in pr thomas as well. what is the latest?

>> they are still going through his apartment in colorado. we are being told by sources it may take days to get the explosives and flammable material out of the apartment. they're not quite certain what it is but it is a large amount. also, we are being given new information about the arsenal he had at the scene. he had an a r-15 assault style rifle, two blocks and a shotgun. we are told the rival could hold as many as 30 -- the rifle could hold as many as 30 rounds. >> 30 rounds that could be fired at incredible speed. >> indeed. we are being told that the entire thing may have been over in a couple of minutes. >> pierre is still tracking every minute of the story. so is the entire abc news team. we return you to your regular programming now. we will come back when we have something to bring you. and at 2:00 p.m. eastern we will

have a special edition of world -- a special report. a special edition of world news later tonight as well as 20/20 and nightline. and we are here at wjla.com throughout the day. >> diane sawyer, thank you. we are learning more about the suspect in the shooting in colorado. he was a near a science student who had withdrawn from his studies. -- near a scieuroscience student who had withdrawn from his studies. >> we do need to get a check on the forecast. >> a lot of folks getting ready to head out to the beach thinking there might be nicer weather. a lot of clouds. four and a half inches of rain yesterday in ocean city. we could see another inch or two later on this afternoon into the overnight hours, but at least the second half of the weekend

looking a lot better. two point levels in the lower 70's. look at these rain total since midnight earlier this morning. about an inch and a half in maryland. 6107 engine bethesda and half an inch in rockville. -- 0.6 inches in bethesda and half an inch in rock hill. temperatures a little bit cooler. 70 in cumberland. 82 in quantico. in terms of satellite and radar things have really settle down, but last night we had that line of storms that moved on through. severe thunderstorm warning. all of that bond. now we are watching showers and storms to the west of us. loudon county into western montgomery county looking at light showers. we do have a flash flood watch now up for pretty much the

entire metro area, all of southern maryland all the way out to the west. this extends until later this evening. we could see one-2 inches of rain in some areas. here is the future cast as we move through the afternoon and overnight. tomorrow morning most of the heavy rain should be out of here with a few lingering showers for the afternoon hours. by sunday, our skies will begin to clear. the second half of the weekend looking a lot better than the start. here is the forecast for today showers and thunderstorms, some with the potential to bring heavy downpours and gusty wind. 82-87 degrees for the daytime high. tonight, showers and areas of rain. wins out of the northeast from 5-10. tomorrow, mostly cloudy, scattered showers. we will get all the heavy stuff out of the way in the early

morning. upper-70 posted-lower-80's. we will clear up on sunday. warmer temperatures, mid-80's. lower 90's on monday and tuesday. wjla.com you can stay abreast of the later weather watches and warnings and you can check out our interactive doppler radar 24 hours a day. >> thank you, steve. a ride on the metro will come with some detours starting at 10:00 tonight. 10 on the red line -- on the red line, buses will replace trains. riders traveling to and from stations north of mount vernon square should use green line trains to complete their trip. things will not get back to normal until monday morning. >> still to come on abc 7 news

at noon, it is the most popular books since harry potter, so why are they burning it? >> why two radio deejays

[ obama ] i'm barack obama and i approve this message. [ female announcer ] every woman who believes decisions about our bodies and our health care should be our own is troubled mitt romney supports overturning roe versus wade. romney backed a law that outlaws all aiobortion -- even in cases of rape and in.cest. and that's n all. i'll cut off funding to planned

parenthood. [ female annnnouncer ] for women planned parenthood means life-saving cancer screenings and family-planning services. but, for mitt romney... planned parenthood. we're going to get rid of that. >> 50 shades of gray is the biggest book series since harry potter but it turns out not everyone is a fan. it has sparked lots of interest from men and women, the two radio hosts in ohio are burning with desire to burn the best seller. they want to set them on fire. the deejays say the writing prompted the idea of a book

burning event. about 50 people gathered to watch. they say the books have caused relationship issues with their friends. >> they were saying tongue-in- cheek that it is not fair. a postal worker in texas dealing with some real life angry birds. got to be quick. for the past two weeks, he has delivered mail while having to dodge a group of falcons. the birds are protecting and nest and do not seem to bother anybody else, just him, and usually when he wears a hat. >> when i wear the blue one they do not come after me. it is something about the white one. they are taking care of that baby up in the nest, doing their natural thing. >> my advice? where the blue one. those birds can fly well over

100 miles per hour. >> good advice. still ahead, a final look at the weather. >> also, we will have the latest on the deadly shooting at the movie theater [ romney ] i'm mitt romney, and i approve this message. [ male announcer ] when a president doesn't tell the truth, how can we trust him to lead? the obama outsourcing g attacks: "misleading, unfair and untrue." there was "no evidence" that mitt romney shipped jobs overseas. candidate obama lied about hillary clinton. so, shame on you, barack obama. [ male announcer ] but america expects more from a president. obama's dishonest campaign: another reason america has lost confidence in barack obama.

[ obama ] i'm barack obama and i approve this message. [ female announcer ] every woman who believes decisions about our bodies and our health care should be our own is troubled mitt romney supports overturning roe versus wade. romney backed a law that outlaws all abortion -- even in cases of rape and incest. and that'sot all. i'll cutff funding to planned parenthood. [ female annnnouncer ]eroror women planned parenthood means life-saving cancer screenings and family-planning services. but, for mitt romney... planned parenthood. we're going to get rid of that. >> now recapping our top story the deadly shooting in colorado. this is a picture of the suspect, james holmes